Iran sends delegation to Afghanistan as Taliban-Tehran ties see boost
Iran’s relations with the Taliban are seeing a thaw after a period of tension over deportation of Afghans from the Islamic Republic last year.
An Iranian delegation held talks in Kabul on Thursday focused on setting up a new customs office and inking an agriculture deal in steps designed to boost ties between the Taliban government and the Islamic Republic.
On Thursday the Taliban government’s acting minister for industry and commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, held a meeting with Iran’s deputy agricultural minister, Ali Reza Mohajer, and with Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special envoy to Afghanistan. The trio discussed agricultural development in Afghanistan, establishing a customs office in Afghanistan’s Nimroz province, transit relations and other ways to boost trade between the two countries, the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency reported.
The same day, Mohajer and Mawlavi Sadr Azam Osmani, Afghanistan's deputy minister of agriculture, signed a cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing productivity and best practices regarding agriculture and livestock in the two countries, according to Bakhtar.
In a significant step towards strengthening regional collaboration and fostering agricultural development, Afghanistan and Iran have signed a memorandum of cooperation. pic.twitter.com/DJ3biHorzE
— Bakhtar News Agency (@bnaenglish) March 14, 2024
On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s acting foreign affairs minister, Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, held a meeting with Qomi in Kabul. The two spoke about the “enhancement” of Afghanistan’s electricity imports, recent flooding in the region, the “challenges faced by Afghans in Iran” and the development of the Chabahar port, Bakhtar reported.
